It Ends Once
by LostFan4life
Summary: Jack wakes up only to find himself in another world. Post finale fic. Chapter 10 is up! 11/02/10
1. Chapter 1

Don't Dream it's over

Author note: After watching the final episode of Lost, I felt very depressed. I loved that Jack and Kate ended up together, but why did it have to be after they had died. So in order to find peace with the finale, I have decided to write a story about what I would have liked to happen. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! If I have enough interest I might continue this story, if not it will just be a Three-shot. Please leave a review to let me know what you think and leave suggestions on what you would like to happen.

"_I took the job because the Island is all I've got left. It's the only thing in my life I haven't ruined." _

He had made so many mistakes in his life, but this just felt right, it felt like destiny. He had ruined his relationship with Kate. It didn't seem to matter how hard they had tried, they just couldn't make it work. At first it had been her friendship with Sawyer, which later turned into something more. Then it was Jack's guilt about leaving the island, seeing his dead father, the pills, and his alcohol problem. They could never seem to make things work, the situations never allowed them to be completely together. Now all Jack had left was the Island, it was the one thing that made him feel important. He loved Kate, probably more than she would ever know, but he had to let her go. He couldn't ask her to stay on the island with him, when she belonged back in the really world with Claire and Aaron. It would be very selfish of him, and no matter how much he wanted her to stay, it was time to let her go.

"_Nothing is irreversible." _She told him, as they began to journey across the island, as they had done so many times before.

He was just about to tell her the plan, when 'Locke' appeared. Jack knew that he didn't have time to tell her right now, because he had to save her and the rest of his friends. It was at this moment that Jack realized he missed the real Locke. They had never really gotten along; they were always arguing about their destiny and whether or not that the island had really brought them there. There had been times where Jack had hated Locke, but in this moment he missed his old friend very much. If Locke was here, he would know what to do; he would know how to handle this situation.

"_I'm going to kill you." _Jack told Locke as they came face to face. _"How do you plan to do that?"_ Locke asked with a smile, fully knowing that Jack's plan, whatever it may be, would fail. To this Jack simple smiled and said "It's a surprise." The two enemies then began to make their way to the heart of the island, where they would end this once and for all. Jack had no idea how he was going to kill Locke, but he had to try something, anything, or everyone he cared about would be dead soon. How do you kill black smoke? Jacob hadn't really prepared Jack on how to be the leader of the Island, so how was Jack going to pull this off.

After what seemed like hours the Jack, Locke, and the rest of the survivors arrived at the heart of the Island. Everyone was prepared to go in, and do whatever they had to do to save the island, but Locke insisted that only Jack and Desmond come with him. Hurley didn't like this idea, but he didn't have a say in the matter.

"_I believe in you."_

Those words warmed Jack's heart, he needed that support, and he needed to know that this was not just for nothing. With one last glance at his friends, Jack began to make his way into the heart of the island. Once inside, Jack knew what he had to do; Desmond was his only hope in saving the island. Desmond was what Jacob had called 'a failsafe', a way to make sure that if everything else failed, the island would still be protected. Desmond seemed to know exactly what he had to do, so Jack didn't need to explain a lot to him. Jack began to tie the rope around Desmond, wandering if he would ever see Desmond alive again, knowing that this may be his last chance to save the island.

_This doesn't matter. Him destroying the Island, you destroying him. It doesn't matter. You're going to lower me into that light, and I'm going to go somewhere else. A place we can be with our loved ones. A place where we never have to think of this place again. And you know the best part Jack, you are in this place._

Jack couldn't accept this; this could not be for nothing. Losing friends, losing Kate, giving up everything just to save the island, to fulfill his destiny, it couldn't be for nothing.

"_What happened, happened. All of this matters."_ Jack said to Desmond, although it felt like he was just trying to convince himself.

With that Jack began to lower Desmond down the waterfall, towards the light. Locke decided to help Jack lower Desmond down, if anything Desmond would end up failing his mission, which would help Locke sink the island and escape from this prison he had been living in for thousands of years.

"_Does this remind you of anything Jack? Desmond going down into a hole in the ground. If there was a button down there to push, we could fight about whether to push it. Just like old times._" Locke said, acting as if he were the real Locke, as if he had lived Locke's life.

"_You're not John Locke, you disrespect his memory by wearing his face, but you are nothing like him. It turns out he was right about just about everything. I just wish I could have told him that when he was still alive." _Jack shot back, furious that 'Locke' would pretend to be the real Locke. If there was one thing that Jack knew, it was that Locke was a wonderful person, and he missed him very much. He could not sit there and let this man or smoke act as if he were John Locke, he would never be John Locke. He could take John's body, quote his words, and even talk about his memories, but he could not fool Jack.

They finally heard Desmond shout that he had reached to the bottom, and he was now going towards the light. He was doing exactly what Jack had told him, but this was also what Locke wanted him to do. By putting out the light, the island was going to sink, and he would be free to leave the island. Jack knew that this would happen, but he knew what he was doing, he knew that this was somehow going to save the island. Jack knew that in a few minutes this would all be over, that this would end and his friends could go on living their lives.

Authors note: I really hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be up in a few days. Let me know what you think. This was really just a recap and is setting up the story, so please give it some time. Thank you so much!


	2. Chapter 2

The End

Authors note: Thank you, absolute nonsense, for my first review! I haven't decided if I want to make this a full story or just stop at three or four chapters. Let me know your opinion. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I don' own Lost or the characters. Don't worry this story is not going to be just about what happened during the finale. It is going to be about what happens after the finale, but I have to set up the story first.

"_Desmond, are you okay? Desmond!"_ Jack shouted. He had seen the light go out. Desmond had done exactly what Jack had told him to do. Jack began to panic. He called for Desmond again, but still no answer. He couldn't believe that Desmond was gone. Why was this happening? Why was Locke still alive? It should have worked, it should have killed 'Locke', but instead Locke was still sitting next to Jack, smiling his creepy smile.

"_It looks like you were wrong, Jack,"_ Locke said with a laugh, as he stepped out of the cave.

Those words were not what Jack wanted to hear. He stood up and began to run towards Locke, knocking him to the ground. Jack began to punch Locke with everything he had in him; he had to kill him, he just had to. Suddenly both Jack and Locke realized that Locke was a human again, he could no longer turn into black smoke, he was no longer safe, he could die now. Jack began to punch Locke again, but Locke found a rock near his head and picked it up and hit Jack in the head.

At that moment everything began to go black….

"_Doctor Jack?" _The head nurse said as she put her hand on Jack's shoulder. _"Are you okay?"_

"_What? Oh, sorry, I must have started to daydream." _Jack told her as she snapped him back into reality.

"_You might want to get ready to go. You don't want to be late for the concert."_ She told him, she always seemed to keep track of his schedule better than he did.

"_I just have to go check in on John Locke; he just woke up from surgery."_ Jack said as he began to head down the hall towards John's room.

When he entered John's room, he noticed that John was wiggling his toes. Jack decided to check this out, so he began to poke at John's feet just like any doctor would do. The strangest thing happened when Jack touched John's feet; it was almost as if it was a memory, as if the stranger that was sitting in the hospital bed was his friend. Memories began to flash in Jack's head, racing through his every thought.

"_We were brought here for a reason"_

"_And who brought us here John?"_

"_The island."_

Jack quickly moved his hand from the stranger's body. He must be going insane because there was no way that he knew this man. How could he remember having this conversation with this man, when he had only met him a few days ago? He must be exhausted, he was hallucinating, it wasn't real.

"_Did you see that?"_ John asked him looking at him with a smile almost as if he had seen the exact same thing that Jack had seen.

"_I don't know what you are talking about Mr. Locke."_ Jack denied the visions clearly they were both under lots of stress and it was just coincidence that they had seen the exact same thing_. _

"_I have to go. I promised my son that I would take him to a concert." _Jack said trying to make his way out of the room as fast as he could.

"You don't have a son," John informed him.

Clearly, this man had lost his mind. If it was one thing that Jack was completely sure of it was that he had a son named David. He had just seen the boy a few hours ago. He had talked to Juliet about taking David to the concert and she had agreed that they would meet Jack there. Why was this man talking to Jack as if he had known him for years? Jack didn't have time to think about any of this he had a concert to go to and with that he was out the door.

He was halfway out of the hospital, when everything began to go black…

Jack awoke with the worst headache he had ever had in his life. He slowly started to recall the events that had occurred right before he blacked out. Locke. That monster that now had the identity of Locke, he was on his way off the island, on his way to destroy and corrupt the real world. He couldn't let that happen. This was what he had been preparing for his whole life. This was his destiny. He has become the new 'Jacob'; he had taken of as the guardian of the island. Now he had to save it from Locke, he had to keep it from sinking. If the island were to sink, this would all be over.

He started to sit up, being very careful not to sit up to fast and pass out again. Once he was sure he was going to be okay, he stood up. He was going to take care of Locke once and for all. It was time, time to fulfill his destiny, and for the first time in his life he knew exactly what that was.

It started to rain and the island began to tremble it was slowly starting to sink. He was running out of time, he had to find Locke and kill him before the island went completely under water. He decided to go towards the sea cliffs, if Locke wanted to escape the island he would go towards his boat off the side of the sea cliffs.

There he was, standing at the edge of the cliff, watching the water slowly rise over the island. Jack knew that his plan had worked, that he had used Desmond to sink the island, and now he might actually get exactly what he wanted. Jack's body began to fill with rage. He had come too far to give up now. It was time; Locke would not leave this island, not if Jack had anything to do with it.

"Locke!" Jack shouted through the rain.

Locke turned around and stared at Jack, pulling out his knife he began to run toward Jack. Jack started running too. He was not going to give up without a fight. Jack knew that no matter what happened now, the only thing that mattered was killing John Locke, even if that meant that Jack had to die too.

Jack tackled Locke to the ground and began to punch Locke. This caused Locke to lose his knife. It slide do the rock a few feet away from the two men. They went back and forth punching each other. Jack grabbed Locke behind his head and began to choke him, but Locke used his head and knocked Jack in the head. Jack stumbled backwards and watched as Locke made his way towards the knife. Jack ran and tackled him again, bringing both hands up to Locke's throat to choke him one again. Locke's hand searched to ground for his knife, and when he finally reached it, he stabbed Jack in the side.

Jack winced in pain as he grabbed his side. This gave Locke the opportunity to slam Jack to the ground and try to stab him again. Lifting the knife up Locke went to stab Jack again, planning to finish the job. Jack stopped him. He used all of his strength to keep the knife from stabbing him again. Locke finally got the knife up to Jack's throat and began to make a small cut.

"_I want you to know, Jack, you died for nothing."_ Locke told him as he prepared to kill Jack.

This was it. His life was over, finished, he could go back. He thought about his life with Kate. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he needed to say. His heart broke at the thought that he would never see her again; never hold her in his arms, never tell her he was sorry for what he had done, or even tell her that he loved her just one more time. Jack closed his eyes; he decided he wanted her face to be to last thing he saw. He began to drift into the sweet memories, when he heard a gunshot. His eyes flew open only to see that Locke had been shot. But who had shot him? No one knew that they were here. The last place they had been seen together was over in the forest near the heart of the island.

"_I saved you a bullet!" _

It was Kate. She had found him, she had saved him. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, even at his worst she had always had his back.

"_You're too late."_ Locke said as he breathed his last words.

Jack slowly stood up, holding his side tight, and kicked Locke over the edge of the cliff.

It was over.

Locke was dead.

Authors note: I worked really hard on this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Please review and let me know what you think. I am open for suggestions; let me know what you think I should do. I think there will be one more chapter that talks about what happened in the finale and then I will move on to my story I want to tell. I would love to hear what you guys think about the story, so if you could just leave me a small comment and let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

It's Over

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock! Also, thanks for all the story alerts, it keeps me going. I own nothing. Enjoy!

Kate rushed over to Jack's side, putting his arm around her neck; she helped him away from the edge of the cliff. Once they were away from the edge, she helped him sit down and looked at his wound.

"_Jack,"_ Kate said her voice shaky and she asked it more like a question.

"_I'll be fine,"_ Jack said trying hard to keep his voice from sounding like he was in pain. _"Find me some thread and I can count to five."_

Five. That had been their first conversation when they had arrived on the island. She had found him in the forest not long after the crash, he had a cut in his side (much like the one now) and she had stitched him up. She had been so nervous about stitching him up, so he told her a story about his first surgery and how he had only given the fear five seconds. It seemed like a million years ago, but it had only been three and a half years.

Sawyer, Hurley, and Ben appeared at the top of the cliff and started to rush towards Jack and Kate.

"_What happened?"_ Sawyer asked as he looked at Kate, hoping for some good news, but sure that he wasn't going to get it.

"_It's over,"_ She replied, _"Locke is dead."_

They all knew that it was far from over, Jack their leader, their rock, was hurt and the Island was still shaking beneath them.

"_Why is this still happening?"_ Kate asked hoping that someone would know the answer.

"_Whatever Desmond turned off, I have to turn it back on,"_ Jack said, he knew that he had to fix this. This had been the whole reason he had been brought to the island, this was his destiny.

"_But if I can't do that, you guys need to be on that plane within the hour."_ He told his friends knowing that this would be the last time he saw all of them.

"_No, Jack, you can come with us, you don't have to do this."_ Kate pleaded with him. _"Just let the Island sink, Jack."_

"_No, Kate, I can't."_

He couldn't let all of this be for nothing. This was his destiny and if it meant that he had to die to save them, then he would.

Jack slowly stood up keeping both of his hands tightly against his side. First, he said his goodbye to Sawyer, the two had always been at odds, but despite everything they had been through, Jack considered him a friend. They shook hands and said their final goodbyes.

"_Good luck to you, James."_

"_Thanks for everything, Doc."_

Jack then made his way over to Hurley, he had always been one of Jack's best friends on the island, he had almost always been on Jack's side.

"_Hurley, it's time to go,"_ Jack told him, as he clutched tightly to his side.

"_No way dude,"_ Hurley told him, _"I'm not going down there, I'll stay with you."_

Jack smiled. Hurley would never leave Jack, especially when Jack was hurt.

Knowing that he couldn't change Hurley's mind, he made his way over to Kate. This was going to be the hardest goodbye he would ever have to say.

"_Kate, you gotta go and get Claire on that plane."_ Jack told her trying hard not to let her see him in pain.

He knew that this was going to be hard to convince her to leave him, but he knew if he reminded her of Claire and Aaron she would.

"_Tell me I'm going to see you again."_ She pleaded with him, tears forming in her eyes.

They both knew that this was the last time they would see each other. It was so hard to imagine, them not being together. The whole time they had been on the island, they had been together, even when they had been far apart. They had never left each other behind; they always had each other's back.

Jack shook his head in response to her. He couldn't lie to her, he knew he was dying and nothing was going to change that.

With tears flowing freely down her face, she reached up to kiss him. This was not like the kisses they had shared before. This kiss was their last kiss, the goodbye kiss.

Pulling away she looked up into his eyes, finding courage to say what was on her mind.

"_I love you,"_ she said as she chocked back the tears.

"_I love you." _

This was the first time they had been on the same page. The past three years they could never seem to get it right. When he would say I love you she wouldn't, and when she would say it he wouldn't. But for the first time, they had finally gotten it right.

Jack knew that he had to go, he hated leaving her, but he couldn't ask her to stay. He had a job to finish, and she had to get Claire and Aaron back together.

He began to turn around, he couldn't look at her face anymore, he had to finish what he'd started. Hurley was by his side instantly, helping him walk every step of the way.

After what seemed like hours, they finally reached the center of the island. It took them longer than they had planned because the island was rumbling and shaking beneath them.

"_How are we going to get down there?"_ Hurley asked Jack knowing that they didn't have much time to save the island.

"_We're not, I'm going alone."_ Jack told him, his voice very serious it was more like a command than a statement.

"_Dude, you can't go down there alone. Desmond didn't make it, how do you think you are going to survive?"_ Hurley asked him, Jack's plan hadn't fully sunk in.

Jack looked at him. He knew that this would break Hurley's heart, but he couldn't let his friend die with him. Hurley needed to take care of the island; he had to be the new Jacob. All Jack could do was shake his head; he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"_No."_ Hurley said, Jack's plan had finally sunk in and he knew exactly what his friend planned to do. _"No way, I'm not going to let you die."_

"_Hurley, I'm already dead."_

The words were true. No matter what he was going to die and nothing was going to change that. He was bleeding way too much and there was no way he was going to make it out alive.

"_You said you'd protect the island!"_ Hurley told him, trying to find a way to keep him from dying.

"_And that's what I'm doing." _Jack said as he clutched his side, trying to hide the pain.

"_You're committing suicide!" _Hurley shouted, tears now rolling down his face.

"_I'm not." _Jack said with a sigh,_ "This is the way it has to happen, this is what I'm supposed to do." _

"_You're not supposed to die, the island needs you!" _Hurley pleaded with him.

"_Hurley, It needs you," _Jack said as he placed his hand on Hurley shoulder.

"_What?"_ Hurley said barley above a whisper.

"_It needs to be you, Hugo,"_ Jack told him.

"_I can't Jack,"_ Hurley said, now letting the tears flow freely. _"It was supposed to be you, Jack."_

"_It was only supposed to be me so that I could save the island, but if someone has to protect it. If the island needs to be protected, it needs to be you. Hugo, I believe in you."_ Jack told him, as a sad smile spread across his face, he knew that Hurley was the right man for the job.

If there had ever been anyone who could protect the island, it was Hurley. In the three years that Jack had known him, Hurley had always cared for others more than himself. He would make a great leader. Jack knew that Hurley would not only take care of the island, but also the people that lived on it.

"_Fine, I'll take it,"_ Hurley said finally giving in, hoping that Jack would make it out alive._ "But only until you turn the light back on, and then I'm giving it back to you. Deal?" _

"_Deal," _Jack promised him, knowing that he would never be able to keep it.

It wouldn't be the first time that Jack had failed to keep his promise. A few days ago he had promised that he would get Sun and Jin off the island, but in his attempt to do so, they had gotten killed. He thought about his friends, how they would never see their child grow up, how they wouldn't see her get married and have a family of her own.

He thought about every single person they had ever lost on the island, how their life had ended way too soon, how they had left behind love ones, and how they had all died trying to save the others.

Then he began to think about his own life, he would never be a father, he would never marry Kate, and they would never be able to have the life they had once dreamed of.

He couldn't let his death be for nothing, if it was the last thing he did, he was going to save his friends.

"_Do you have something to drink out of?" _Jack asked Hurley; he knew he had to make Hurley drink the water from the stream, just like Jacob had done to him.

"_Here, use this,"_ Ben spoke up as he pulled a water bottle from his bag.

Jack took the bottle and made his way over to the stream to fill up the bottle. He prayed this would work; he wasn't exactly sure how to do this. Even though he had watched Jacob do this a few hours ago, he still had no idea what to do. It had all happened so fast, one minute his was Dr. Jack Shephard spinal surgeon from Los Angeles to Jack Shephard protector of the island.

"_Here, drink this."_ He said as he handed the bottle over to Hurley.

Hurley slowly started to drink the water, but after a few seconds he finished the bottle.

"_Is that it?"_ He asked as soon as he had finished drinking.

"_Now you're like me."_ Jack told him as he put his hand back on Hurley's shoulder.

They shared a sad smile. Both knowing what was going to happen next, both knowing that this was goodbye.

Jack hugged Hurley and then turned around and headed towards the cave. Hurley and Ben helped him tie the rope around his waist and started to lower him down.

It was over. He was no longer the protector of the island. He was just Jack, just a person who was going to fulfill his destiny. This was it. No turning back.

Author's note: Okay, I decided not to put the rest of the finale in this chapter because it would have been really long and it would have taken me longer to update. The next chapter will wrap up the finale and then I will get to my story. Thanks for all the support, you guys mean a lot to me! I hope that you liked this chapter. I felt like I rushed some stuff, but I just really want to get to my plan for the story. Let me know if you have any suggestions!


	4. Chapter 4

Is this real?

Author's note: Wow..you guys rock! 19 alerts for this story and 10 reviews. I was finally able to finish this chapter. Hopefully, I didn't rush the end too much, I am just really excited for the next part. Thanks so much for all the love and support, you guys keep me motivated. Okay, this is the last chapter that covers the finale. After this chapter it will be my story. I don't own Lost or any of the characters. Most of the quotes are from the finale, but I did add some of my own.

Jack could feel himself slipping in and out of consciousness as he was being lowered into the heart of the island. He figured he must be getting closer to death, and that thought alone scared him. The only thing that was worse than death was the thought of not ever seeing Kate again.

He knew he couldn't let the fear take over, so he decided to count to five.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

Five…

As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, everything went black…

Jack had been having a really off day, he was remembering things that had never really happened, strangers were talking to him as if they knew him, and now he was late for the concert. Nothing was making any since today. He knew he had to shake it off.

When he finally arrived at the concert, he noticed the crowd was leaving. He hoped that David was still at the concert and they could at least spend a little time together before it was time to go home.

Flipping out his phone, Jack dialed his son's number, hoping that he would pick up. After five rings it immediately went to voicemail.

"_Hey, this is David, leave a message and I will call you back soon."_

He knew his son was mad at him. Who could really blame him? He had every right to be mad at Jack. Jack had never been the perfect father; he had made many mistakes with David.

He had never had the best role model, when it came to dads. Christian Shephard was not much on family moments. Most of the time he would come home long after Jack had gone to bed. If he did come home early, his time was spent doing paperwork and drinking.

When Jack found out that he was going to have a son, he made a promise to himself that he was going to be the best father he could be. For the first four years of David's life, Jack was there for almost everything, he was the best father that they boy could have ever asked for. It was after the divorce that Jack started pouring himself into his work. The divorce had been hard on everyone, but Jack took it especially hard. To him it had been another moment in his life where he felt like he had failed. He had failed Juliet, he had failed David, and he had failed his father.

Every time he felt this way he poured his heart and soul into work. It was the one thing he could do without failing. Sure there were times that he had lost patients, or the procedure hadn't gone as planned, but he knew going into the surgeries that there were risks. He knew it wasn't his fault, that he had done everything he could. Sometimes, that was life, and Jack knew that.

Lately, Jack had found himself reconnecting with David. It had been hard, but slowly his was making progress. This latest incident, however, would probably set them back. Jack knew that he would have t work even harder to gain David's trust again.

"_It's over,"_ a young woman said, snapping Jack out of his thoughts.

"_Excuse me?" _

There was something familiar about her. It was almost like he had met this woman before, but he could quite figure out where he knew her from.

"_The concert-it's over,"_ the woman stated again_. "You looking for someone?"_

"_Yeah…my son, I was suppose to bring him here tonight, and then I couldn't come and-" _

He couldn't take it anymore. He knew that he had met this woman before. Her eyes looked so familiar, almost as if he had looked into them millions of times.

"_I'm sorry…where do I remember you from?"_ Jack asked her, he just couldn't put his finger on it, but maybe she could help him.

"_I stole your pen,"_ she told him as her face lit up with a smile.

"_What?" _

She stole his pen. That wasn't the answer he had been hoping for; he knew there was something else.

"_Oceanic 815…from Sydney, I bumped into you coming out of the bathroom, and I stole your pen."_

"_And that's how I know you?"_

"No… that's not how you know me."

She began to make her way towards Jack. All he could do was stand there and look at her, wondering what she was going to do next.

Her hands touched his face and at that moment visions flashed in his head.

Her face flashed through his head, and then he saw them kiss. This couldn't be real, it had never happened. If it had he would have remembered it before now.

"_I've missed you so much." _

This was all too much for him to handle. He never really believed in the supernatural and he had never been big on the spiritual side of things. He was stubborn when it came to believing in stuff like this. How was it that he saw them kissing, but, yet he had never kissed her? This was crazy. He figured that it must be a hallucination, after all he had only been getting a few hours of sleep lately.

"_Are you okay?"_ The woman asked him as he began to walk away from her.

"_What's happening to me?"_ He said out loud, although it was really meant for him. _"Who are you? I don't-" _

"_I know you don't understand, Jack."_ She said cutting him off. _"But if you come with me…you will."_

After taking a few minutes to process what was going on Jack decided to go with the woman and try and figure out what in the world was going on. It couldn't hurt. Surely, this was all a dream, it couldn't possibly be real.

Jack help the woman into his car, and then made his way to the driver's seat. They only drove for ten minutes, but it seemed like hours for Jack. They arrived at a church. This was not just any church; this was the church that Jack was going to have his father's funeral at.

"_Do you know where we are?"_ The woman asked him.

"_This is the church where I was going to have my father's funeral."_ He informed her, still wondering why she had brought him here.

"_Why did you bring me here?"_

"_Because this is where you were going to have your father's funeral,"_ She told him, as if she had known this information all along.

"_You can go in around back,"_ she told him as she began to step out of the car.

"_Wait…where are you going?" _

Was she really going to leave without giving him answers? He knew that this was all a dream now. A beautiful woman claiming that she missed him, asking him to come with her, it was all just a dream.

"_Inside…I'll be waiting for you there, once you're ready." _

What was she talking about? Ready…ready for what? He was ready for her to stop playing head games with him, that's what he was ready for. He couldn't believe this, here was a beautiful woman who was taking interest in him and she turns out to be a complete nutcase.

"_Ready for what?" _ He asked knowing that she wasn't going to give him an answer that would actually make sense.

"_To leave." _She said with a smile as she stepped out of the vehicle and walk toward the church door.

So that was it that was the only answer he was going to get. Ready to leave…he was ready to leave alright, ready to leave this bizarre dream. The people in this dream were completely insane. First it was the patient from the hospital, and now this mystery woman who seems to have missed him. He had to wake up from this nightmare, he just had to.

Jack decided to close his eyes, when he woke up things would be different; he would be back in the real world.

Jack opened his eyes, he had made it, and he was now in the center of the island. He wasn't sure how long he had been out, but it must have only been around five minutes or so. He knew what he had to do know, he had to find Desmond and turn the light back on.

When he finally found Desmond, he was lying face down. Jack wasn't even sure that he was alive.

"_Desmond? Desmond, can you hear me?" _Jack said as he turned his helpless body over.

It took a few seconds, but all of Jack's efforts paid off, Desmond slowly began to open his eyes.

"_The light…I put it out. It didn't work. I thought I'd leave this place." _Desmond told him as he tried to sit up.

Jack looked around; he had to figure out how to turn the light back on. It was only a matter of time before the Island was completely underwater. He looked at the huge stone that Desmond had pulled out of the hole. He knew exactly what he had to do, he had to put the stone back it the hole in order for the light to come back on.

"_I got you, come on. Come on."_ Jack told Desmond as he helped him stand to his feet.

"_I'm still here. You were right, Jack."_ Desmond told him, as the two made their way over to the waterfall.

"_Well, there is a first time for everything."_

Jack had to laugh. Of all the times he had to be right, it just had to be the last time he would be right about something.

"_I have to put it back."_ Desmond said as he realized what Jack intended to do.

"No, Desmond, you've done enough," Jack told him as he began to tie the rope around Desmond's waist.

"_It will kill you, Jack,"_ Desmond said as he began to untie the rope, _"It has to be me."_

"_You want to do something, go home and be with your wife and son," _Jack told him as he finished tying the rope around Desmond.

"_But what about you, Jack?"_ Desmond asked him with a sad look. He already knew the answer to his question, but he was hoping that he was wrong.

"_I'll see you in another life, brother."_

Jack used the famous words that Desmond had told him so many times. He figured it had to be true, they would see each other again. Every time Desmond had said those words to Jack, they had somehow found a way to be reunited. Maybe, they would see each other in this other place that Desmond had spoke of before he had turned off the light. If such a place existed then he would see all of his friends again, one day.

The ground beneath them began to shake, rumbling like an earthquake. He knew it was time; he couldn't avoid it any longer. This was the reason he was here, his destiny.

He laughed inside of himself. _"If only Locke could see him now,"_ he thought.

In the past three years he had come so far. First he was a leader, a man of science. Science was the only thing he had ever known, but then again what did he expect after years of medical school. Once he had gotten off the Island, he was a broken man. The time off the Island had been the lowest part of his life, he had messed up everything. His relationship with Kate, the most important thing in his life, he had messed it up. Throughout that whole time, the Island seemed to be calling him back. After arriving on the Island, he had become more of a man of faith. He was still a leader, but he didn't seem to mind taking a backseat sometimes. His friends had noticed the difference, especially Kate.

"_Do you know who you sound like?"_

Of course he knew, but he didn't have anything left to lose at that point. He was broken, but the Island seemed to be the place where he could redeem himself.

Now was his chance, it was time to finish what he had started.

Once Jack made sure that Desmond was on his way back up the waterfall, he made his was back towards the stone. With all the strength that he had left in him, he picked it up and began to set it back in the hole.

As soon as the stone was back in place the light started flashing and it began to shake Jack. The pain was so real; it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. After a few seconds, Jack fell to the ground. Water began to flow from the waterfall again. He had done it, he had saved the Island. He could feel himself losing consciousness again. His world was spinning and suddenly everything went black.

Jack opened his eyes. It didn't work; he was still in this nightmare. He figured if he was going to be stuck here, he might as well go into the church and try to figure out what was going on. He stepped out of the car and began to walk towards the back of the church.

He had to be going crazy. None of this was real, nothing was real anymore.

He wondered why the woman had told him to go around back. It would seem that if they were going to leave, they would all want to do it together, right? Once he had made it inside, he realized why she wanted him to go through the back. His father's coffin. It was now sitting right in front of him. The airlines had called him earlier that day and told him that it had finally arrived, but he still couldn't believe that it was here now.

He felt a wave of emotions hit him as he made his way over to it. He placed his hand on top of the coffin, but when he did, the flashes came to him again.

First he saw his eye open and he was staring at the bamboo trees.

After this he pulled his hand away from the coffin, completely confused. Why was this happening to him? Why did that seem so familiar?

He was running, running through a jungle. Now he was on the beach, trying to save people who had been in a plane crash. He was in his doctor mode, helping people on an island.

Then he saw her. Kate. The first time they had met. They were getting off the island in the helicopter. Their last kiss they had shared before he had gone to save the Island.

He suddenly remembered. It was all real, it had all really happened to him.

Jack decided to open the coffin, he had to see his father, he had to know if this nightmare was real. When he opened the coffin, he found nothing; his father's body was nowhere to be found.

"_Hey, kiddo."_ He heard a familiar voice behind him say.

He knew it was his father. Christian had always called him Kiddo, even after he was grown.

Jack started to turn around slowly; he didn't know what was happening now. His eyes met his fathers and a wave of terror hit him.

"_Dad?" _

He couldn't believe his eyes, his dead father was standing right in front of him, talking to him. This was all too much for him.

"_Hello, Jack."_ Christian said as a sad smile formed on his face.

"_I don't understand…you died."_ Jack said his words were full of confusion, and he face full of concern.

"_Yeah. Yes, I did."_ Christian replied with a slight laugh, it was a sad laugh, but still a laugh.

"_Then how are you here right now?"_ Jack asked his father, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.

"_How are you here?"_ Christian asked back, knowing that this would trigger some memories.

"_I died, too."_ Jack said as the tears began to roll down his face.

He remembered it now. After he put the stone in the hole and the light came back on, he had passed out and somehow ended up back in the river. It took him a few minutes to realize where he was out, but when he finally did he slowly stood to his feet. He knew he was close to the bamboo forest he had woken up to in the very beginning. He also knew that he was close to dying, that soon the Island would be done with him. He decided that he should die in the spot where it had all started. Clutching his side he made his way through the bamboo forest, passing a white shoe that had been on his father's dead body. He was there, he remembered this exact spot.

"_It's okay…it's okay." _Christian told him trying to comfort his son.

"_It's okay, son."_ Christian said as he embraced Jack in a big hug.

"_Are you…are you real?"_ Jack asked him as he pulled away. Tears where now streaming down his face, he knew that this wasn't just a dream, it was all real.

"_I sure hope so."_ Christian laughed again, this time it was a happy laugh, he had his son back.

"_Yeah.. I'm real, you're real. Everything that has ever happened to you is real. All the people in the church, they're all real too."_

"_They're all dead?"_ Jack asked him, he was confused he thought that he had saved Kate, but she was here in this new world with him.

He remembered the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes for the last time. The plane was in the air, he had saved her, he had saved Kate.

"_Everyone dies sometime. Some of them before you, some of them long after you." _Christian told him, trying his best to explain what was going on.

"_Where are we now?"_ Jack asked his father, wondering if this was some form of heaven.

"_This is a place that you all made together so you could find one another. The most important time of your life was when you were with these people. That's why you are all here. No one does it alone Jack. You needed all of them and they needed you." _

"_For what?" _He asked, what on earth would they need him for now.

"_To remember and to let go." _ He father said with a smile.

"_Kate, she said we were leaving,"_ Jack told him, his voice gave away that he was still completely confused.

"_Not leaving, no, moving on."_ Christian replied, he was hoping that Jack was finally accepting all of this.

"_Where are we going?" _ Jack asked him, wondering what happens after death.

"_Let's go find out_." Christian told him as he made his way towards the door.

Once they had opened the door, Jack could see all of his friends gathered in the church. The scene looked like a family reunion. People were hugging, crying, laughing, kissing, and talking. Jack began to make his way into the crowd; he was greeted by his friends.

"_We've been waiting for you,"_ Locke told him as he shook his hand.

They had been waiting for him. He was always the last one to accept things, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that he was the last one here.

After seeing many familiar faces, and receive many hugs, he spotted her. She looked the same as she had back on the cliff, she had nice clothes on this time, but she could still take his breath away. She made her way through the crowd and reached out to take his hand. He gladly took her hand and they walked towards the bench. He finally had everything he had ever wanted…her. He finally had Kate, they were together, and nothing was ever going to separate them.

Christian made his was down the aisle, this was it they were all moving on. As he opened the door a great light filled the church. Jack just sat there in complete awe.

His mind flashed back to when he had died. Vincent had found him on the ground and had stayed with him in his last few moments. The dog kept him company for his last few seconds of life. Jack closed his eyes, he knew it was over, but he had to see her face one more time. As he took his last breath, he saw her. She was beautiful. He saw her helping Claire with Aaron. She was always such a good mother to Aaron. He saw her with another man, and she was happy. He saw her life that she had without him, and although it made him sad, he was happy that she was going to have a long and happy life. The last thing he saw before he died was her face and that was more than enough for him.

Author's note: This is the longest chapter I have ever written! I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think. I would also love to hear what you guys think is going to happen in the next chapter. Sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter, I am not perfect just human. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up over the weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

Where In The World Am I?

Author's note: You guys are so awesome. I cannot say how truly grateful I am to all of you! I hope that you guys like this chapter, I have had this idea in my head since I started writing this story. I hope that the direction I am taking this story won't disappoint you guys. Please review and let me know what you think.

He could see the bright light. In fact it was all he could see. He wondered how long the light was going to blind him. Would it ever go away?

"Jack," He heard Kate say. He could hear her but he couldn't see her at all. He knew that they were going into the light together but he just didn't know if he would ever be about to see her again.

"Jack, wake up," Kate told him, as she whispered into his ear.

As soon as she had said those words, the light went out. He couldn't see anything, it was all black. Where was he? Where did everyone go?

"Jack, honey, it is time to get up," Kate said getting annoyed at her husband, "you're going to be late for work."

Suddenly Jack eyes flew open. He was very confused, he had just died and then he was in some kind of afterlife, and now he was in bed with Kate. None of this made any sense.

"Where am I?" Jack asked her as he struggled to sit up. He managed to sit up and he just sat and stared at Kate.

"What do you mean 'where am I'?" She asked him with a confused look on her face. "You're home."

"Is this what happened after we all saw the light?" He questioned. He noticed that she looked different from the last time he had seen her, she had a diamond ring on her left hand and she seemed to have a small baby bump.

"What light?" She asked him. "Are you okay, Jack? Did you have too much to drink at the party last night?"

"We are dead, everyone is dead. We died." It was the only thing he could really say, nothing else seemed to come out of his mouth.

"Jack, we didn't die," She told him as she finally realized that he was talking about his dream.

"Yes, I died saving the Island and then I went to the afterlife," He explained to her, "you were there and Sawyer, Juliet, Locke, Charlie, Claire, Hurley, Desmond, and everyone else from the Island.

"Jack, you were having a dream," She told him, trying to keep from laughing at him. He looked so cute confused.

"No, it was real. It was all so real." He told her, "It was so real."

"Jack, I know you think it was real, and I'm sure that it felt that way to you, but it wasn't." Kate tried to reassure him. "I'm real, we are real, and this right here is real." She told him as she gestured around the room trying to make him see that this life they were living was real.

"Where is Aaron?" Jack finally managed to ask her. The last time he could remember seeing Aaron was the night before they left to go back to the Island.

"He is with Claire and Charlie," Kate told him as she shot him a confused look.

"Charlie is alive?" Jack asked, now completely confused about what was going on.

"Yes, he is alive. He married Claire almost three years ago, remember?" She asked hoping that he was just confused because of his dream.

"I'm sorry, Kate, I'm just really out of it today," He said as he tried to laugh it off as nothing, he didn't want her to worry about him.

"It's okay," She told him as she pulled him into an embrace.

"Are we engaged?" He asked her as he once again caught sight of the ring on her finger.

He knew that they had been engaged before they had gone back to the Island, but they had also broken up. Even though he knew that she loved him, he wasn't sure that she would still want to marry him.

"No silly, we are married." She said as she let out a small giggle. "We got married a few months after we got off the island."

"I'm sorry, it's just this dream was so real and I think I'm having a hard time figuring out reality." He told her as he gave her a small peck on the cheek.

"I understand, I have had dreams like that before," She said as she tried to comfort him. "It is time to shake it off and go to work, though."

"Maybe once I have had a shower I will remember things," He told her as he swung his feet of the edge of the bed.

"I sure hope so," Kate told him as she placed a small peck on his cheek.

Jack took his time in the shower. He was having a really hard time figuring everything out. He truly believed that he had died on the Island, so how was he here now. He was glad that it was all a dream or rather nightmare, but why couldn't he remember the past three years of his life. There had to be a logical explanation for all of this. Maybe he had some amnesia going on, it certainly wasn't unheard of.

After about thirty minutes in the shower, Jack finally decided it was time to get out. He knew that Kate was already worried about his actions from earlier, so it would be best to act as normal as possible. He got dressed in his normal suit and tie for work, and then headed down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"I thought you were lost," Kate joked, as she finished putting the breakfast plates on the table.

"No need to worry about me, I'm just in slow mode today," Jack reassured her as he sat down at the table.

"I made breakfast for you," She told him, "Blueberry pancakes, you're favorite."

"Thanks, you really didn't have to do that," Jack informed her, he was still in the island mode where he should be taking care of her.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked him, setting the pancakes in front of him.

"Yes, I think that I am just suffering with minor amnesia," Jack told her, "I just can't remember the past three years."

"How long will this last?" Kate asked him as her voice began to crack with worry.

"It is nothing to worry about, it will probably only last a few weeks," He said, knowing that her anxiety was not good for her or their unborn baby.

"I will try to help you remember," Kate told him as she sat down next to him, preparing to eat her pancakes.

"What is the last thing you remember, other than your dream?" She asked him trying to figure out how much he had forgotten.

"I remember using the satellite phone to call the freighter," Jack told her, that was really the last thing that he remembered of this life that Kate claimed was reality.

"We will figure this out," She told him as she grabbed his hand from across the table.

"Just be patient with me," Jack said with pleading eyes. He wasn't sure that he was going to ever remember.

"Of course," Kate answered, "For better or worse, remember?"

"Not yet, but I will," Jack said as a small laugh escaped his lips. He was determined to remember because he hated feeling like she was disappointed in him.

As they both finished breakfast, Jack excused himself from breakfast. He was already running a few minutes late, so he knew that he had to get going. This was definitely going to be an adventure. He was hoping that he remembered how to be a doctor.

"I better get going," Jack told his wife as he gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. "I will be home for dinner."

"Okay, I will see you when you get home." Kate said as she pulled him into a small hug. "Have a good day."

After forcing himself to pull away from her, he made his way to the door. He really hoped that this wasn't just a dream because if it was he would want to spend every second with her and not be going to work right now. Even though he was completely confused about what was going on, he loved this life because it seemed he had everything he had ever wanted. Kate.

Author's note: This chapter was shorter than normal, but I really wanted to update for you guys. I hope you like the way the story is going. Please be honest and tell me what you think. I am always open to suggestions, so let me know what you think. Thanks for all the reviews, story alerts, and just for taking the time to read this story.


	6. Chapter 6

Déjà vu

Author's note: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews! I was worried that you guys weren't going to like the way the story was headed, but it seems like you guys do. The last chapter was just introducing the new storyline, so don't worry I will fill in the blanks and tell you what is going on. It will be a while before you find out exactly what is going on, but you will find out. This story is going to feature other characters, so get ready for that.

Special thanks to Voldemort- Coolest Badguy EVER forgiving the idea about Juliet!

Jack made his way through the doors of the familiar hospital. It seemed like ages since the last time he had been here, but in this reality it had only been a day. He knew that he was going to have to do his best to act normal. It was going to be extremely hard for him, but he had to act as if he remembered everything that happened to him over the past three years.

"Good morning, Dr. Shephard," the lobby receptionist greeted him as he walked past. He wasn't sure he even knew her in his former life, but in this life he must have.

"Good morning, Ann," he told her as he looked at her name tag. She didn't look familiar to him at all.

Jack made his way toward the elevators, surly his office would be in the same place, right? Before he could press the button to take him up to level 5, a tall blond woman made her way into the elevator. Jack glanced up only to find Juliet standing in front of him.

"Hey, Jack," Juliet said as she greeted him with a smile.

"Hey," Jack said as he stared at her in complete shock. Last time he had seen her was right after Sawyer had pulled her out of the hatch. She was dead, and yet she was here, standing right in front of him.

"Is everything okay, Jack?" She asked him, noticing his confused expression.

"Yeah…yeah, everything is just fine," he lied as he put on a fake smile. True was everything was not fine, he was completely confused and he couldn't remember the past three years of his life.

"You just seem a little out of it today," She told him as the elevator door began to open and she began to make her way out of it.

"It's just one of those days," he said as he laughed it off as he followed her. Acting normal was going to be very hard for him. He knew that he could always pass it off as 'one of those days', but for how long. Soon he wouldn't be able to use that excuse, people would start to worry.

"I understand," She told him with a reassuring smile. "James and I will see you and Kate at dinner tonight."

He concluded that James and Juliet were still together, maybe even married now. It had been no secret that they had been crazy about each other back on the Island, but that was a different reality. Maybe this reality was a place where everyone got their happy ending.

When he finally reached his office, he realized that this was no longer his office. How was he supposed to convince everyone he was okay, when he had to ask them where his office was?

"Excuse me," Jack said to a young nurse who was passing by, "could you tell me where my office is located?" He really hoped that the nurse didn't think that he was drunk or completely crazy.

"Don't you remember?" The nurse questioned him, "They moved it to level 8, just around the corner from the elevators."

"Thanks," Jack told her as he began to walk back towards the elevators. He couldn't figure out why they had moved it to the 8th floor. That is where the Chief of Surgery's office was. He remember when his father had been Chief, it had always been really hard on Jack. His father treated him like a child in front of the other doctors and nurses. Even though his missed his father, he didn't miss those days.

After walking for what seemed like forever, he finally found his office. He noticed that it said Chief of Surgery underneath his name. The whole time he had worked at the hospital before the crash he had never been able to make Chief and now all of the sudden he was Chief. This reality may be completely confusing, but it seemed like Jack's perfect world.

The day seemed to drag on. Pretending to know what was going on was a hard and stressful job. Most of the nurses had noticed he was acting different, some even questioning him. He tried to pass it off as fatigue, but he wasn't sure that it was working. He hoped that none of them called Kate and told her what was going on. The last thing he wanted to do was worry her more than she already was.

It was going to be hard to piece the last three years together. He decided that he was going to have to pay close attention to conversations and pictures. If he continued to ask questions then everyone would began to think that he was crazy. Perhaps he was crazy. Yesterday he had died, and now today he was alive and well.

The hands of the clock finally reached five o'clock and Jack let out a sigh of relief. It was finally time for him to go home and put this crazy day behind him. He found his keys and grabbed his paperwork from his desk. It seemed like he made it to his car really fast, faster than he should have. He knew he was just excited to go home. Even if this was a fairytale world that he would soon wake up from, it was fun to pretend, at least for now. He couldn't wait to get home to Kate, to see her smile and her growing bump. This life made him happy.

"Kate," He called as he made his way through the front door. He hung his jacket on the coat rack and made his way into the kitchen.

"Hey," She said as she greeted him with a soft kiss. "How was your day?"

"It was good," he told her as he tried to steal another kiss from her. He knew something was up when she avoided it.

"We need to talk." She told him as she pulled away.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, noticing the worry in her eyes. He knew that it was bad. The words that followed 'We need to talk' were never good.

"Juliet called me early and said that you were acting a little off today," She told him, looking him up as worry filled her eyes.

Jack wondered why she was so worried about this. Couldn't he just have an off day?

"So Juliet thinks I am acting off today, it's no big deal." He tried to reassure her, but it didn't seem to work.

"It was no big deal until I received phone calls from the nurse's station saying that you couldn't find your office!" She shouted at him.

It wasn't like her to raise her voice at him, so he knew that something else must be bothering her.

"So I had an off day, what's the big deal?" He questioned her as he began to raise his voice. He hated raising his voice at her, but he just couldn't control it anymore.

"Are you using again?" She asked him, keeping her voice barely above a whisper. Tears were now free flowing from her eyes as she looked away from him.

"What?" He started at her, shocked that she would ask him that. He had been on pills in the past, but that had been a long time ago. He was clean now; he had been since before they went back to the island. Had he really been using drugs in this reality, too? It didn't make sense. If everyone had been rescued three years ago, why would he have used drugs?

"Jack, are you taking pills again?" She asked him with fear in her eyes. "Don't lie to me. I want to truth."

"No….no, why would I be on drugs?" He asked her hoping that she would realize that he was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry, I just worry about you," Kate told him, "the doctor said that you may feel like you need the drugs again, and I just worry that you will start using them again."

"I'm sorry, Kate," Jack told her as he tried to wipe away her tears, "I'm so sorry for everything I have put you through, but I promise that it won't ever happen again."

"I'm sorry, Jack," She said as her eyes met his, "you know how pregnant women can be."

"Don't ever apologize for caring about me," he replied as he kissed her forehead, "I know it's just because you love me."

"I do, Jack. I love you more than you will ever know." Kate told him as she pulled out of his embrace.

"Now go get ready for dinner. Juliet is going to kill us for being late." She told him as she let out a small laugh.

Author's note: So apparently Jack perfect world has some dark secrets. Don't worry you will find out what is going on. I would love to hear what you think is going on. I would also love to hear what you want to happen, so please let me know. The more reviews I get, the faster I will update! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Also let me know which characters you would like to see in this story and I will try to make it happen.


	7. Chapter 7

Dinner

Author's note: I really appreciate all the wonder reviews. You guys rock! I promise that we will see some of our old friends soon, but it won't be in this chapter. I know that there is some confusion about what is going on, so just think of it as a reset (only Jack remembers everything that happened to him in the finale). I promise it will be explained, but in the mean time I would love to hear your theories. I am dedicating this chapter to all of you because you keep me motivated to write!

The car ride to James and Juliet's house was quiet. Jack didn't want to say something to upset Kate, and she didn't want to upset Jack. He held on to her hand the whole way there trying to comfort her. He wondered what she had been talking about earlier. Had he really been on drugs? It just didn't seem to make sense to him. The only time he had ever had a problem like that was after they left everyone on the Island. In this strange reality everyone seemed to be alive and not on the Island, so why would he have used drugs? He had to figure all this out, but there would be no way he could ask Kate. She would once again worry about him and maybe even take him to this so called doctor she had been talking about.

"Jack, do you know where you're going?" Kate asked him, the worried looked was back on her face. He knew that he was driving around in circles, but if he had asked her for help it would have worried her.

"Not really…I guess I just forgot how to get there." He told her, he tried to make it seem as innocent as possible, but he knew that he had upset her once again.

"Pull over and I will drive," She told him, as a few tears escaped her eyes. "Jack, I can't go through this again, I won't. Whatever is wrong with you, you need to figure it out." She was losing her patience with him. How could he do this to her again?

"I'm sorry, Kate," He tried to apologize, but he was cut off by her hand motioning him to stop talking.

"Don't apologize, just fix it!" She shouted as the tears now were pouring down her face. She knew she had to get herself under control before she could start driving. Once she had calmed herself down she got out of the car and switched places with Jack.

The rest of the car ride they both remained silent, they wouldn't even look at each other. Kate tried to keep her focus on the road, knowing that if she looked at him she would lose it again. She couldn't watch him destroy himself again, not when she had a baby to think about. They had lost the first one because of his problems. She was not going to lose this one. She loved him, but she wasn't going to save him again. He was going to have to save himself. He had to love himself before he could love her or their baby.

"I thought you guys weren't coming," Juliet said as she welcomed them into her home. "James, there here!"

"It's about time," He laughed as he made his way into the living room to greet them. He noticed that Kate had been crying, so they must have gotten into a fight.

"What's the matter, Freckles?" Sawyer asked her, as he watching fresh tears fall from her eyes.

"Nothing…it's nothing," She said as she tried to wipe the tears from her face. She didn't want to ruin the dinner, but it was going to be very hard for her to put on a happy face.

"Juliet, take Kate into the kitchen and calm her down," Sawyer instructed her, "I need to talk to Jack." Juliet nodded and led Kate towards the kitchen.

Sawyer and Jack had always had their difference, but they had somehow managed to become close friends over the past three years. Sawyer had watched his friend go through his hard times; he had watched him nearly destroy his family.

"What happened, Jack?" Sawyer asked him once Kate was out of the room. He knew that it must have been a pretty big fight because it took a lot to make Kate cry like that.

"I'm just having an off day," Jack replied, hoping that Sawyer would just accept that answer without making a big deal about it.

"Juliet said that you were acting weird today," Sawyer told him, "She told me that you couldn't find your office."

"So I had an off day!" Jack shouted, he was starting to lose it. "Why can everyone else have an off day and no one question them, but when I do it automatically means that I'm using drugs?"

"Are you?" Sawyer questioned him, knowing that it was a possibility. Sawyer remembered the night at the hospital when they almost lost Jack. The doctor had come out and told them that he had made it through, but that they were going to have a long road ahead of them. He informed them that Jack would want the pills again, it may be years, but he would definitely want them again.

"No," Jack answered trying to keep his voice down. He couldn't believe that all this was happening. He knew that he would never be able to tell Sawyer about his weird dream or other reality he had experienced. If they didn't think he was already on drugs, they would be after he told him about the other reality.

"Jack, if you're stressed out you need to talk to someone," Sawyer said feeling a little relieved that Jack had said he wasn't back on his pills. "I know that you're stressed out about the baby, but you have to stay strong. Kate needs you."

"Why would I be stressed out about the baby? Is something wrong with it? What's going on, Sawyer?" Jack asked as his mind began to race in many directions.

"The baby is fine," Sawyer said, trying to calm Jack down. "After what happened last time, you have every right to worry, but don't repeat the situation."

"What situation? What is everyone talking about?" Jack said as he began to rise to his feet. He had to find Kate and ask her what was going on.

"Please don't get her upset, Jack," Sawyer looked at him with pleading eyes. This was the first time Jack had ever seen Sawyer act like this. He actually seemed to be concerned about Jack and Kate's marriage.

"I just need someone to explain to me what in the world is going on." Jack told him, as Sawyer tried to force Jack to sit back down.

"Do you really not remember?" Sawyer asked him, his eyes looked like he was in a mixture of shock, confusion, and overall concern.

"No," Jack simply stated. He had no idea what was going on, the last thing he remembered was dying.

"It was a year and a half ago," Sawyer started as he recalled the events in his head. "Kate was three months pregnant when you went off the deep end. You started drinking a lot and talking pills to easy your pain. You claimed that you could see your dead father and that we all needed to go back to the Island. The doctors said you were suffering for posttraumatic stress. You hadn't dealt with the stress of the crash on the island, but eventually it caught up with you after the rescue. Kate tried to get help for you, but you refused. She worried so much about you that her body couldn't deal with all of the stress and she had a miscarriage. This of course only made things worse for you. You ended up blaming yourself for the death of the baby and you overdosed on your pills. You just barely made it."

Jack could see Sawyer start to tear up at that point. He knew that they were friends, but he had no idea that Sawyer cared for him that much. It broke his heart to see Sawyer like this. He couldn't believe that he had been so stupid. Kate should have hated him, and yet she still cared about him and his health. He suddenly realized why she had been so concerned. He had told her about the dream. He had saved the Island and then he had died. She must have thought that the dream had set him off again.

"You stayed in the hospital for a few days and then they placed you in a rehab. Kate struggled without you. She had lost a baby and almost a husband and then she had to go through all of it without you. She told me that she was worried about you a few months ago. She said that she had told you about the baby and she was worried it was going to set you over the edge." Sawyer finished and just stared at Jack waiting for a response.

"I…I can't believe…Why?" It was all that Jack could manage to say, he was in complete shock.

"It is okay, Jack," Sawyer said trying to comfort him. "We are all here for you, no matter what happens, but you need to be honest with us."

"I am, I promise," Jack told him as he tried to make sense of what he had just heard. He never thought that his past was this bad and he had a feeling that Sawyer had left something out of the story.

"Well, let's get back to dinner," Sawyer told him as he stood up for his chair.

"Please don't tell Kate about this," Jack pleaded with him, knowing that it would really upset her if she knew how out of it he really was. The last thing he needed was to upset her and then she would lose this baby, too. It was bad enough that he had caused her to lose one baby; he was determined not to have the same thing happen this time.

"I won't, as long as you promise that it won't happen again," Sawyer assured him as he gave Jack a stern look.

"I promise," Jack told him, "I may have to ask you stuff about the past, but I will try not to let her know that I am confused."

"I will tell you whatever you need to know," Sawyer agreed as the two men made their way into the kitchen.

Everyone seemed relaxed at dinner. No one mentioned the argument before, not wanting to upset Kate. Jack tried to make her feel better by holding her hand under the table and giving it a reassuring squeeze that he was okay. It seemed to work because Kate seemed relaxed and happy for the rest of the night. After dinner and card games they finally said their goodbyes to Sawyer and Juliet. The night had gone better than Jack thought it would. He was going to do everything he could to keep Kate's stress level down.

"I am taking the day off tomorrow," Jack informed he helped her into the car. Even thought her bump was still small it slowed her down when it came to sitting down.

"Jack, you don't have to do that," Kate told him, situating her pillow behind her back and bucking her seatbelt.

"I want to," Jack said as he started t shut the door. He made his way towards the driver's seat before he finished his sentence. "I want to spend time with you and the baby. I have put you through so much and I want to make up for it. How about a nice picnic at the beach?"

"I would love that!" Kate exclaimed the truth was she was hoping that they would be able to spend some time together.

"It's a date," Jack replied as he gave her smile. "I love you, Kate. I'm so sorry for everything I have put you through."

"I love you, too. Don't be sorry…just make sure it doesn't happen again." She said in a loving, but serious tone. 

Author's note: Thanks for reading! You got a little more information about Jack's dark past, but there is more to come. There will also be more appearances by characters we love, so stay tuned! Please review and let me know what you think. I would also love to her suggestions because I am starting to run out of ideas. I know how the story is going to end, but I need stuff for the in-between. Thanks so much for all the love and support!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Author's note: I finally finished this chapter! I have been working really hard on it, but I haven't had time to type it all out. Sorry that it has taken me awhile, my work schedule is crazy right now. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story, you guys are the best! Thanks to everyone who has ever read this story, you really keep me going. 28 alerts, 6 favorites, 37 reviews, and 7,322 hits! Thanks guys! Special thanks to MorningGlory2 for giving me some good ideas for this chapter and for the encouragement! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
….

When they finally arrived back home, Kate went straight up the stairs and locked herself in their bedroom. All she felt like doing was crying, but she knew that crying wouldn't solve anything. She couldn't stand to see Jack like this. This morning he had said that he had lost his memory, but when she started getting calls from the hospital about Jack's behavior she knew it was something else.

The last time he had 'lost his memory'; it turned out to be from the pills, Oxycodone, to be exact. One of the major side-effects was confusion and it didn't help that he had chased the pills down with vodka or whatever his drink of the day was. She remembered worry about him day and night, hoping that he would get some help, but he never did. Now history was repeating itself. Kate didn't know what to do, so many thoughts floated around in her head, but she wasn't sure which one to listen to. Should she leave him and take care of herself and her unborn child or should she help him through this again.

They had made up in the car, but somehow she still didn't believe him. She didn't want to make the same mistake again; she didn't want to get hurt again. Finally, she decided that she would go stay with James and Juliet; at least they would be able to comfort her and help her figure out her next step. She packed a suitcase full of clothes and other necessities that she would need, at least until she figured out what she was going to do. The suitcase was heavy, but she somehow managed to carry it down the stairs, nearly falling in the process.

"Kate, where are you going?" Jack asked her, his face full of different emotions, hurt, confusion, and sadness.

"I'm going to stay with Juliet until I can figure out what to do with you," She snapped, trying hard not to let the tears fall.

"What did I do?" Jack questioned, "I thought that we made up in the car and things were good again." 

"Don't you remember last time, Jack?" She asked him, her tears now streaming down her face. "You promised last time that you weren't using and that everything was going to be okay, but it wasn't okay."

"Kate, I promise you I am not on any drugs," He looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping that she would realize that he was telling the truth.

"I…I can't do it again, Jack," Kate told him as she set the suitcase on the floor next to her. "Whatever is going on…whatever you are going through, Jack…you have to tell me."

"I will, I promise," He told her, pulling her into a hug. "I will tell you everything tomorrow when we go to the beach."

"Okay," She said, looking up into his eyes, "I will stay, but you better explain everything tomorrow.

"I will," He reassured her, "I will."

"Let's go get some sleep," she said with a suggestive smile on her face. "I've really missed _us _time."

…

Jack couldn't sleep. He couldn't seem to make his mind turn off, it just kept thinking about what he was going to tell Kate. He wondered if she would believe him, or if she would think that he was crazy.

After trying for hours to sleep, he finally decided that it was useless, so he began to watch Kate as she lay asleep beside him. He couldn't he noticing how peaceful she looked when she was sleeping. It was as if all their troubles seemed to disappear, at least for the moment. He wished that he could take back all the pain and suffering her had caused her, but he knew that he could never change anything. 'Whatever happened happened.' All he could do now was make the future better, even if that meant telling Kate the truth about what was going on with him. She wouldn't understand, but then again he didn't even understand. How was he going to explain the fact that he had died on the Island and then woke up in this reality? She was going to think that he was crazy, and perhaps he was. He wondered if she would put him back in a rehab program if he told her what had really happened. He had tried to tell her he had lost his memory and she automatically assumed he was on drugs. What was she going to think now?

"Hmmm, good morning," Kate mumbled, snuggling into his chest, as he pulled her even closer to him.

"Morning," he whispered softly into her ear. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, that was the best night's sleep I have had in a long time," she answered, looking up at him with a loving smile on her face. "What about you? How did you sleep?"

"I didn't really sleep, so I decided to watch you instead," he told her, planting a small peck on her forehead.

"What's going on, Jack?" She questioned him, panic began to fill her voice. "The last time you didn't sleep-

"Relax, Kate," Jack cut her off, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "I just don't like it when we fight, it stresses me out."

"But we made up, remember?" She asked him, with a smirk on her face. "Several times, I may add."

"Of course I remember, but it doesn't change the fact that we did fight," he replied, trying his best not to upset her, but also trying to be honest with her.

"I'm sorry, Jack," She apologized, her eyes tearing up, threatening to spill over her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, we're okay," he said pulling her into a hug. "We are going to be okay, I'm going to fix this," he told her, wiping the tears that were now streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, I just get a little over-emotional these days," she told him, looking down towards her swollen belly.

"Well, I haven't exactly made things easy for you lately," he said, letting out a small laugh.

"I know that you have been through a lot since we left the island," she reassured him with a sympathetic smile.

Jack wondered what had happened when they had left the Island. Whatever it was, it was the reason he had had the meltdown in the first place.

"Are you ready for our date?" He asked her trying to change the subject.

"Let me shower and get ready and then we can go," she told him, swinging her legs off the side of the bed.

"I will go make us some breakfast," he told her, slowly making his way off the bed and over towards the door.

After thirty minutes, Kate finally arrived into the kitchen. Her hair was damp and she didn't have any makeup on yet, but to Jack she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Jack?" Kate asked interrupting his thoughts. Ever since her baby bump had appeared she had started to feel more and more self conscious.

"You just look so beautiful," he answered as she gave him the 'yeah right' look.

"I look like a whale," she laughed, setting down at the kitchen table.

"You do not look like a whale," he said, laughing along with her. "But if you did, you would still be the world's most beautiful whale." At that the two could no longer contain their laughter.

"Thanks, Jack," Kate said as a smile appeared from ear to ear.

"For what?" Jack asked her, slightly confused about what she was thanking him for.

"For today, for breakfast, for making me smile again, for giving me something that I haven't had in a long time-hope," she answered.

"I'm so sorry, Kate," he apologized, "I'm sorry for everything that has happened."

"I'm not," she responded, "It was supposed to happen."

"I mean look at us, Jack," she told him, gesturing around their house. "We are completely broken, but I know that what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger."

"But we are still broken, Kate," he told her, knowing that they still had a long way to go before they would be whole again."

"I know, but I have faith in us. I have faith that we will make it through all of this," she said, knowing that they had already made it through so much, so they would be able to make it through anything."

"I just hope I didn't let you down again," Jack said with a sigh, placing the breakfast he had made on the table.

"No matter what happens, we will make it through…together," she told him taking his hand as he joined her at the table.

The two remained silent as they ate the breakfast that Jack had prepared. Neither one of them really knew what else to say. The silence continued until Jack finished his food and stood up to clean up the table. Kate finished shortly after and relieved Jack from kitchen duty so that he could go shower and get ready to go.

Kate was finishing up the last of the dishes when she heard the phone ring. She wondered who it could be since most of their friends were at work by now, but she decided that it was best just to answer even if it was just a telemarketer.

"Hello," Kate said as she put the phone up to her ear.

"Hey, Kate," the voice one the other end said. "It's Juliet."

"Hey, Juliet," Kate answered with a hint of confusion in her voice. She was sure that Juliet would be at work by now. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I took the morning off," Juliet replied told her, "I have to go in later, so I figured I could relax a little before going to work."

"I completely understand," Kate said, rubbing her small baby bump. "So, what's up?"

"I was just calling to check on you guys," Juliet told her, "last night was so crazy and I wanted to make sure that everything was okay."

"It will be," Kate said, trying to sound confident, but doubt still floated around in her head. It wasn't that she didn't want to believe Jack, she did, but he had a history of lying to her about drugs so it wasn't always easy to trust him.

"Has he told you what is going on with him, yet?" Juliet asked her, curiosity filling her voice.

"Yesterday, when he woke up, he kept telling me that we were all dead," she said as she began to tell Juliet the events from the previous day. "He truly believed that we were dead, but I told him it was just a bad dream.

"Wow…I don't….I don't even know what to say, Kate," Juliet told her, sympathy evident in her voice.

"It gets better," Kate began again, "he told me that he can't remember anything about the past three years. He didn't even know that we were married," Kate said, choking back a sob.

"Kate, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I have to tell you something," Juliet said, her voice sounded shaky as she tried to tell Kate the latest rumor going around the hospital.

"What is it, Juliet?" Kate asked, desperately hoping for some answers about her husband's strange behavior.

"A couple of the nurses came to me last week and told me that they had seen Jack taking some Oxycodone," Juliet told her, hoping that she didn't upset Kate too much.

"Why is he doing this again?" Kate asked, practically screaming in Juliet's ear. "He is lying to me again. I should have known. How could I be so stupid?"

"Kate, it may just be a rumor. I'm just telling you what they said." Juliet was trying to calm her down, knowing that she didn't need this stress right now and neither did the baby.

"I guess I need to calm down," Kate said, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down. "I will try to talk to him today when we go to the beach and maybe he will open up to me."

"I sure hope so," Juliet agrees, praying that her friend didn't have to go through this situation again. "Hey, I was just talking to Claire and Sun and we have decided that it is time for a girl's night out." Juliet told her, trying to lighten the mood by switching the subject. "We were thinking manicure and pedicures, shopping, dinner, and maybe a movie. Are you in?"

"I don't know," Kate told her, a little hesitant to leave Jack alone for too long. "What am I going to do with Jack? If he is using again, I certainly don't want to leave him alone."

"He can hang out with the guys," Juliet told her, filling her in on the plan. "They are going to watch Aaron and Ji Yeon at my house, but I'm sure that they are going to be more focused on the sports game, than on the children." The two women let out a laugh at the thought of all the guys trying to watch the two toddlers while watching sports.

"Okay, I'm in," Kate told her as she noticed Jack walk into the kitchen. "Juliet, I've got to go," Kate said as Jack eyed her suspiciously. "Jack and I have a date," Kate said as she gave Jack a reassuring wink.

"Okay, I will see you tomorrow," Juliet said, "Good luck with Jack."

"Thanks," she replied before hanging the phone back on the wall.

"What was that all about?" Jack asked, curiosity filled his face as he remembered the last time Kate acted suspicious. The last time her had caught Kate acting this way was when she was secretly help Sawyer, so Jack was feeling a bit paranoid.

"Juliet wants to have a girl's night out tomorrow," Kate replied, walking over to where he was standing.

"Are you going to go?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her growing waist.

"Yes, and you are hanging out with the guys," she informed him, resting her head against his chest.

"That sounds like fun," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "But you know what sounds even better?"

"What?" she asked, trying to follow his thought process. Normally it was easy for her to understand what he was talking about, but this new Jack was a complete mystery to her.

"You and me walking hand in hand along the beach," he told her, pulling her even closer to him.

"Well, I guess we better get going then," she said, pulling away from him and heading towards the door.

…...

It all seemed so peaceful, the waves crashing up against the sand, the sun high in the sky, the temperature was hot, but not too hot. There were so many couples hanging out at the beach and each one seemed to be crazy in love without a care in the world. Jack wished that it was that way with Kate that they could just forget their problems, but it wasn't that simple.

Jack watched Kate as she looked out of the ocean, her feet placed firmly in the sand. He remembered when she had told him her plan of sinking off the island. He wondered if that was what she was trying to do now…sink away from all of their problems.

"So are you going to tell me what is going on with you or am I going to have to guess?" She asked, breaking the silence between them.

"I can't remember, Kate," he told her, desperately trying to remember even a small part of the past three years. "I remember stuff that didn't happen, at least not according to you."

"What exactly do you remember?" Kate asked as she urged him to continue.

Jack paced back and forth along the beach as he began to relive his time on the island. It took him almost an hour to explain everything to Kate, and by the time he had finished they were both crying. He wasn't sure if she was crying because she thought he was completely crazy or if she actually believed him. He just continued to watch her as she cried into her hands.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he tried to apologize, but she motioned with her hand not to continue.

"I want to believe you, Jack, I really do, but after everything that has happened I just don't know anymore." She told him as she tried to get herself under control.

"Kate, you have to believe me," he pleaded, pulling her into a hug.

"Why should I?" She snapped, pulling out of his grasp. "Juliet told me that some of the nurses saw you taking Oxycodone last week."

"I honestly don't know if that's true of not," Jack answered, not sure how to responded when he wasn't even living this life last week.

"How do you not know, Jack?" She questioned him, her body shaking with anger. "You either did or you didn't."

"I told you that I can't remember anything about the past three years!" He shouted back at her. He hated doing it, but he knew it was the only way he could get her to listen.

"You promise me that that is the truth?" She asked after she had gotten herself together.

"I promise," he told her, knowing that he was not the same Jack that had hurt her before, or at least he hoped not.

"Oh, Jack," Kate sobbed as she threw herself into his arms. "I'm so worried about you. I can't watch you hurt yourself again. Last time," She took in a deep breath before continuing, "last time I almost lost you."

"I know, Kate," he sighed as he gently rubbed her hair. "I know." He continued to hold her close allowing her to cry into his chest. "I don't know this Jack who hurt you, but I'm not him…at least not anymore. I am here for you and the baby and nothing is going to mess that up."

"I know, Jack," Kate said, pulling away to face him. "I know that you are telling the truth, but after last time you can't blame me for being suspicious.

"I promise to tell you if I remember anything," he said trying to comfort her. "But please don't get upset if I don't remember something, it's just going to take time."

"Okay, just try to come back to me soon," she smiled touching his cheeks with her hands.

….

"_I can't believe we are almost home," Kate said as she sat down next to Jack. They had been rescued three days ago, but it was still sinking in that they were really going home._

"_I know," Jack agreed, he watched as her face turned from being excited to being worried. "What do you think is going to happen to you when we arrive?"_

"_They will take me to prison," she answered, shakiness evident in her voice. She had killed someone, there was no denying that, and now she had to pay for what she had done._

"_I won't let that happen," he told her, taking her hand in his. "I'm going to fight for you. I will do whatever it takes, but I will not give up."_

….

Jack suddenly jumped back pulling away from Kate in the process. She gave him a confused and worried look when she noticed the look of shock on his face. He had always loved it when she had touched his cheek, so his actions told her that something else was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" She watched as his face changed from a shocked look to a smile.

"I remember."

….

Author's note: There you go, some fluffy Jate moments mixed in with lots of angst. Jack is starting to remember some stuff, so we will see what it means for our favorite Lost couple. I hope you guys understand why Kate is going back and forth about believing Jack. She wants to believe him, but he is acting the same as before.

Next chapter: Girl's night out and Guy's night in. : ) Also, some appearances from other losties and if I get lots of reviews there may even be lots of Jate fluff. I am going to take a break from all the drama, at least for one chapter. I hope to have the next chapter up next weekend for you guys. Thanks for the reviews! : )


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Author's note: This was supposed to be up on Monday, but it took longer than I thought. Sorry guys. I know that it has been awhile, but I am finally back! I am still getting settled from moving, but I have a lot more time to update now. : ) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, you guys make writing so much fun! Anyways, here is a new chapter for you!

"What do you remember, Jack?" Kate asked as she looked into his eyes searching for answers. She wandered if he remembered everything or just a piece of the last three years. Was it something good or bad? Was it even about them at all or was it something work related? So many questions raced through her head as she waited for Jack to answer.

"I remember the night on the boat…the night we were rescued," he answered, rubbing his head, trying to recall the flashback he had had. "We were talking about you, about how you were going to prison. I remember promising you that I wouldn't let them take you."

"Oh, Jack, I am so happy that you are back!" Kate exclaimed as she leaned in to kiss him. However, she was taken back when he moved away from her.

"I don't remember anything else, Kate," he told her, his voice full of sorrow and regret. "I can't remember anything else."

"It will come to you, we just have to be patient," Kate told him trying her best to reassure both of them. "At least you remember more than you did this morning that has to count for something."

"I guess you're right," Jack said as a small smile appeared on his face. "I promise that I will find a way back to you, Kate. I will do whatever it takes."

"I have missed you so much, Jack," Kate told him, as she hugged his waist. She had missed her Jack, the Jack who made her feel safe, the Jack who could make her go weak in the knees, and the Jack who had it all together.

They continued to walk along the beach listening to the peaceful sounds of the waves. The silence between them was no longer uncomfortable, instead it was comforting. It had been a rough couple of week for the Shephard family and now it finally seemed like they had some hope in this crazy situation.

"So what do you girls want to do first?" Kate asked cheerfully. She had been in the best mood since her walk on the beach with Jack. She felt like she had a completely different outlook on life. Jack finally remembering something, even if it was a small something, had given her hope that everything was going to be okay.

"You seem like you are in a good mood today. What is going on, Kate?" Juliet asked, taking note of Kate's new attitude. It had been a long time since she had seen her best friend so happy.

"Jack finally remembered something!" Kate told her friends. "It wasn't much, but at least it was something."

"That is great!" Sun, Claire, and Juliet all said at the same time. The girls were so happy for their friend. It had been a hard couple of years and things were finally starting to look up for the Shephard family.

"What does he remember?" Claire asked.

"The only thing he remembered was being on the rescue boat and promising to take care of me." Kate told her friends, smiling more than she had in a long time.

"That is great!" Juliet exclaimed. "It is definitely a start in the right direction."

"I know. I am so happy that he at least remembers something because he was really starting to scare me," Kate said, breathing a breath of relief.

"You and everyone else," Sun commented. "I'm sure that he will start remembering a lot more real soon, especially hanging with the boys."

"That is probably true. I just hope that they are remembering to watch the kids," Claire laughed. "You do remember last time, don't you?"

"How can anyone forget last time?" Jun said trying hard not to burst into laughter.

"_Has anyone seen Aaron?" Charlie asked as he made his way into the living room. The gang was sitting in Jack and Kate's living room watching the football game and pigging out on junk food._

"_Who?" Sawyer asked, not looking away from the television screen. "Touchdown!" He screamed jumping from his spot on the couch._

"_Aaron. You know, Claire's baby. My soon to be son." Charlie reminded him. "Have you seen him anywhere?"_

"_Oh, the kid, right," Sawyer finally answered. "Nope, haven't seen him. Isn't he with the girls?"_

"_No, we are supposed to be babysitting him!" Charlie practically screamed causing the guys to jump a little. "We have to find him, the girls will be back any minute."_

"_Okay, don't panic," Jack said trying his best to stay calm. "Sawyer and Hurley, you guys look upstairs. Charlie and I will look down here and Jin, Ben, and Locke will look outside."_

_The guys ran around searching every inch of the house looking for the one year old, but could not seem to find him anywhere. They knew that they were in trouble when they heard the car door shut and the front door open._

"_Hey guys, how did it go tonight?" Kate asked the guys as they all stood there with the 'deer caught in the headlight look'. _

"_Umm, fine, just fine," Jack said trying not to sound too panicked. "We had lots of fun, didn't we guys?" He asked his friends, trying to get them to talk._

"_Great, everything was great!" Charlie exclaimed, his voice in a high-pitched, panicky tone. "Our team won! Go Red Sox!"_

"_I thought you guys were watching football," Juliet said wondering what exactly was going on with them. They didn't seem drunk, but they didn't seem right either._

"_Okay, here is the truth," Jack started to say, but he was cut off by Claire's voice._

"_Aww, look at how cute Aaron is," Claire said pointing to the little boy asleep in front of the television. _

"_Oh, thank goodness," All the guys said sighing with relief. "We thought we'd lost him." _

"_What?" Claire shouted as she glared at Charlie waiting for an explanation_

"_I mean….uh…I thought we lost the game of hide and seek," Charlie stuttered, looking at his friends for some back up. "He is so good at this game; he really knows how to hide."_

"Claire will never let Charlie live that down," Kate said still laughing at the memory.

"I still don't know if I should trust him with Aaron, but I guess Aaron is the one babysitting now," Claire giggled. "Maybe I should call Aaron and see how it is going."

"Daddy, can I have more juice?" Aaron asked Charlie as he handed him his cup. Just as Charlie took the young boy's cup he heard the phone ring. "I'll get it!" He shouted as he entered the kitchen.

"Hello," he answered, not even bothering to look at the caller I.D.

"Hey, how are you guys doing?" Claire asked him. She knew that he had everything under control, but she wanted to make sure that they didn't decide to play hide and seek again.

"The kids are good, they have been in the play room watching movies," Charlie told her as he handed Aaron his cup of apple juice. "And yes, we have been checking on them."

"No hide and seek tonight?" She asked trying not to laugh.

"Ha ha, you are so funny, Claire," he replied faking a laugh.

"I know," she said. "We will be home soon. It will be about an hour or so because we decided to go shopping for baby stuff, but we shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Okay, I love you," Charlie told her, walking back into the living room to join his friends.

"I love you, too," Claire said, hanging up the phone as soon as she heard the other end click.

"Who was on the phone?" Sawyer asked, his eyes still glued to the television screen.

"That was Claire, she said that they were going to do some shopping for baby stuff and that they would be home in about an hour."

"Don't lose the kids this time, Charlie," Hurley laughed as he reminded his friend of the last time they were left to babysit.

"Hey, you were all supposed to be watching too," Charlie shot back, watching his friends try hard not to burst into fits of laughter.

The friends continued to reminisce of their last babysitting adventure as they watched the Oakland Raiders take on the Miami Dolphins. It had been a long time since they had really bonded like this. The last time they had done this was before Jack's breakdown. They had been afraid to do anything with him because he was still trying to recover and they didn't want to drink in front of him. He seemed to be doing well tonight, though. He didn't even seem bothered by the fact that all of his friends had had a beer or two. Instead, he was drinking his water and laughing it up with the guys.

"Did you have a good time with the guys tonight?" Kate asked as she crawled into bed next to Jack.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun and it really helped me get my mind off of things," Jack answered, pulling her closer to him. "How about you?"

"I had a very relaxing time tonight," She said giving him a small peck on the lips. "I got a few things for the baby. I wasn't able to get a lot since we still don't know for sure what we are having. I also got a few clothes for myself, since I am starting to look like a whale."

"You do not look like a whale, Kate," he told her, "you look like my beautiful wife."

"Jack, I love you so much," Kate said, snuggling into his chest. "I have really missed being close to you."

"Me too, Kate, me too," Jack said kissing her forehead. "I guess we better get some sleep because we have to get up early for your doctor's appointment." He told her, shutting off the lamp next to him.

"Good night," Kate said, kissing his cheek.

"Good night," he said, hold her as close as he could.

Author's note: This is not my best chapter, but hopefully you guys thought it was okay. I know where I want to take this story, but I am having a hard time putting my thoughts on paper. Hopefully, I will be able to get it out soon. Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think and if you have any ideas.

Next Chapter: Dr. Appoinment, some memories, and some more angst.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**First, let me say, that I am so sorry for the lack of updates. I have been super busy with school, a new job, and other random things. I hate it when life gets in the way of my stories. Lol. Anyway, this chapter is going to be short, but at least it is a chapter. Thank you for be so supportive and understanding. I also would like to ask everyone to vote in my poll. I have limited time to update and I would really like to focus on one or two stories. I definitely want to finish this one first, but I wouldn't mind working on another one at the same time. I hope to start updating at least once a week and maybe if I am lucky twice a week, but I am making no promises. Thanks so much for all the reviews and the encouragement! Here is the next chapter!**

"_Charlie!" Claire shouted as she ran towards a soaking wet Charlie. He had just returned from his underwater hatch adventure. _

"_I am so happy that you are okay!" Claire exclaimed as she hugged his neck and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She had been so worried about him since he had left the day before. She was constantly asking Jack if he had heard anything from the beach group. _

"_I told you not to worry about me," Charlie told her as he pulled away from her embrace. "I was fine the whole time." He had barely escaped death, but he wasn't about to tell her that. _

_He had managed to make contact with Penny before 'Patchy' had activated the grenade that caused the window to burst and water to spill into the looking glass. Luckily, he was able to shut the door before the whole hatch could flood. _

"_I talked to Penny, Desmond's lady friend and she said that the boat that Naomi came on wasn't hers, but she was on her way to find us and she should be here soon." Charlie told the group of survivors. Cheers erupted from the group, as well as hugs. They were finally going to be rescued and they were going to be able to escape this horrible place once and for all. _

Jack shot up out of his sleep and grabbed his head, trying to process what he had just remembered. Was he remembering something, or was it just a dream. It didn't seem to feel like just a dream, it felt like he had lived through it once before. Still, he tried to process what exactly this meant. Did this mean that the things he remembered before were dreams, or had he somehow entered an alternate reality? Charlie had died when he had gone down to the looking glass, but yet he was alive and well now. Jack decided that this was a memory and not just a dream. He wasn't sure where these memories were coming from, but he was certainly glad that they were coming back to him.

"Jack, are you okay?" Kate asked, slowly sitting up next to him. He hadn't realized that in his process of waking up from his dream, or rather, his memory, he had woke her up.

"Yes, I'm fine," he told her, doing his best to fake a smile, but he knew that he hadn't fooled her. "I just had a dream or maybe it was more of a memory," he sighed, confessing to her because he knew that the truth had to come out. He wasn't quite sure why he didn't want her to know that he was having memories, maybe he just didn't want to get her hopes up that the old Jack was coming back. The truth was, even if he got his memories back, he would still never be the same after what he had been through.

"What do you remember, Jack?" Kate asked, her eyes were full of excitement and hope as she waited for him to tell her what he had remembered.

"I remembered when Charlie returned from the underwater hatch and told us about Penny." Jack said, as he tried to recall the memories that he had just dreamed, or remembered, or both. Once he had finished telling her about it he laid back down in his spot on the bed and relaxed.

"Oh Jack, I am so happy for you!" Kate exclaimed, snuggling into him. "Things are finally starting to return to normal around here."

"_Nothing is ever going to be normal."_ He thought as he held her close. His life had changed and now it seemed as if he was living or had lived two separate lives, but he could remember them both. He just hoped that there would be an explanation for all of this and soon, very soon.

Once again, sorry it is short! I promise a longer chapter soon!


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys,

I'm not sure that I am going to continue my stories. I have had major writer's block lately and I haven't been getting a lot of reviews, so I think that I am either going to take a break for awhile or just stop completely. Please tell me if you think that I should continue because I am just not sure that you guys are reading or enjoying any of my stories. If I get enough people interested then I will finish my stories, but if not I am going to take a break or just stop. Please let me know if you guys want me to continue. I would like to thank everyone who has every reviewed or read my stories, you guys are awesome. I hope to hear from you guys soon!

LostFan4Life


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